ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER

SPOKANE WEATHER

We are watching the weather in Spokane with considerable interest and concern over here in Olympia. Yesterday Governor Gregoire declared a state of emergency to help with the snow removal efforts. Our thoughts are with you and Spokane's city leaders as you dig out and try to resume normal day-to-day activities, and we'll keep an eye on statewide efforts to assist.

SB 6380 SCHOOL LIBRARIES

This week the city of Olympia was the site of a celebration of the efforts of a group of Spokane moms to create legislation that would restore funding to local schools for library programs. Calling school library media specialists an “endangered species,” Sen. Tracey Eide introduced a bill January 22, which I signed, that uses a formula to determine how many credentialed school library media specialists should be employed by each district and that offers some $55 million in funding. The bill is the handiwork of three Spokane women who became determined to strengthen school libraries statewide last fall when School District 81 cut programs in Spokane schools. The bill was heard in the K-12 and Early Education Committee last week, and the Library Summit was held on the Capitol Campus at the Pritchard Building on Friday.

Congratulations to Lisa Layera Brunkan, Denette Hill and Susan McBurney for all their hard work.

SENATE PAGE PROGRAM

Last week I sponsored legislative page Martha Wagley. Martha, 16, splits her education between homeschooling and Shadle Park High School. Martha is a member of concert band, jazz band, marching band and pep band.

In Olympia, Martha enjoyed exploring the different buildings on the Capitol Campus. She wrote some draft legislation in class that would make traditional math curriculum the standard curriculum for Washington.

Please contact my office if you or a student that you know between the ages of 14 and 16 is interested in serving for a week as a legislative page.

keeping busy – keeping in touch

Please don’t hesitate to contact my office with questions or concerns, whether they involve bills before the Legislature or topics you feel are being overlooked. If you have a concern, I want to hear it.

You can reach me in Olympia by e-mail or by phone at 360-786-7610.

If you know someone who would like to get their own copy of my weekly e-newsletter, tell them they can go to my website at

 http://www.sdc.leg.wa.gov/marr.htm

 and click on the link to “Subscribe to Sen. Marr’s E-newsletter." Talk to you next week!

Sincerely,

Chris

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